Chronicles of two souls
by brutal-howell
Summary: After several self imposed years away from Konoha, Kakashi returns to find that his precious people have changed. And that leaving had been a mistake. Will those dear to him still want him around? Or have they outgrown the copy ninja?
1. Chapter 1

Two years. It had been two years since they had been sent out to track Sasuke, and discovered that he had formed his own team. Things had been rough that year, contrary to what she had believed it would be upon Naruto's return. Asuma's death had hit everyone hard. Sakura frowned as the images played through her mind. Kurenai, and their young son, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji...even Kakashi had taken the news hard. She suspected, for him, the loss was more personal than he let on. Another one of his comrades had fallen, while he survived. Of all of them, Kakashi was the one she worried about most. Over the last two years, she had seen him pulling away from them in increments, and she was ashamed to admit that she had allowed it. Well, not anymore. This last close call was too much. She had let things go unchecked with Sasuke, and now there wasn't a doubt in her mind that he would never return to Konoha. Her silver headed friend loved this village too much to ever leave, but he wasn't above getting himself killed, taking as many of the Akatsuki with him as he could. Especially if he thought it would help his beloved village.

Stupid fool should have realized by now that taking down these minor players would gain him nothing except a death sentence. They were already well aware that with the exception of Jiraiya's killer, and Akatsuki enforcerThey , Pein, It's members were replaced soon after the old ones died. She herself had a small hand in killing Sasori, and his replacement had been Tobi. They had clashed with the weird Akatsuki member several times over the last two years, mostly when Naruto was wiping the floor with him...but there was something about the guy that creeped her out. More than the obvious murderous intent to kill her best friend. There was something about Tobi that sent her instincts haywire, like he had an ulterior motive of some sorts. They knew from their missions that Kisame had been killed by the swordsman from Sasuke's new crew. And the word was now, that the replacements for Hidan and Kakuzu had just been killed by Kakashi, causing this most recent coma....and bringing her here to her Sensei's office. She was here to plead her case, or Kakashi's case, as it was. And she wasn't going to take no for an answer. Even if it meant angering her shishou.

"Sakura? What are you doing here?" The surprise was evident on Shizune's face. She could tell something was troubling the younger woman...something serious. She also knew that the Hokage had given Sakura's team an assignment. So if she was here, instead of getting ready....

"I need a few minutes with her, can you arrange it?" Sakura asked, nodding when Shizune did.

"Thanks." She put her hand on her friend's arm before they reached the Hokage's office door. "You might want to clear everyone out of the area. There's *Definately* going to be some yelling, and probably some destruction." She suggested. Managing a weak smile at the look of shock on Shizune's face, she reached up a hand to knock on the large door in front of them. She squared her shoulders in determination when she heard the muffled order to enter.

"I was wondering if you could spare a few minutes, shishou?" Sakura inquired, noting how her mentor's eye brow arched in slight surprise at the student's tone. She sensed Shizune's attempt to enter the office and closed the door abruptly, cutting her off from the scene of the impending 'battle.' Sakura wasn't a fool, she knew both she and her sensei had fierce reputations for tempers that could maim lesser Shinobi. And she had a feeling that this meeting would be something akin to a clash of titans. She wanted Shizune as far away from the danger as possible.

"Sakura...why aren't you getting ready for your mission?" Tsunade asked, the irritation giving her voice an edge.

"I'm not going....none of us are." Sakura replied, her stomach churning in nervousness when she saw Tsunade's eyes flash in the beginning of anger. But she had to remain strong.

"Excuse me?" Her sensei growled.

"Just...hear me out before you lose your temper, and I'm forced to lose mine in defense." Sakura pleaded, forcing her voice to remain firm. "This is the fifth time in the last three years that you've sent Team Kakashi out after Sasuke. And I can tell you, with full conviction, that the results will be the same as the other four. Only this time, we might actually lose a team member in the attempt." She forced herself to continue at the look on her sensei's face. "I know that if I can get my hands on Sasuke, I could knock him into next week. But there in lies the problem. He's too fast....for all of us. We need another team member that can match his speed, someone that can drive him to me, or Naruto. And now that he has his own squad...that just quadruples the danger. We *need* Kakashi." She breathed out.

"Impossible," Tsunade pointed out. "You know what his condition is."

"No...I don't. Because you barred me from his care. I can make an educated guess, given that he's been back in Konoha for four days and we haven't seen him. He's in a coma, most likely from overusing his Sharingan again. Shishou, he's trying to push us away. I even have an idea as to why. What I don't understand is why you're helping him do it?" Now that she was on a roll, and seemed to have Tsunade's undivided attention, she forced herself to continue. "I agree, we need to bring Sasuke down. Things are bad enough with the Akatsuki, Sasuke is too unpredictable. It could be tragedy for Konoha. But everything in me is telling me we *NEED* Kakashi on this. For Konoha's sake, and for Kakashi's."

To say Tsunade was surprised would have been an understatement. She was torn between feelings of anger at her apprentice's blatant disobedience, and pride in the fact that she believed in what she was saying so vehemently, that she was willing to stand up to her for it. But curiosity got the better of her.

"Why for Kakashi's sake?" She inquired, watching Sakura's face. It was clear her student was trying to put this in terms that would have the most impact.

"In the past, every time one of our ninja's came back hurt, or worse, from a Sound ninja....you've expressed regret that you and Jiraiya-sama, were unable to stop Orochimaru when you had the chance." She saw her mentor nod her head in confirmation. "Take your regret, and multiply that infinitely, and it might come close to what Kakashi feels. Every instance of news we receive, every death at Sasuke's hands, or the hands of his team, Kakashi feels that regret, tenfold. He taught Sasuke, gave him the basis for most of his abilities. Even taught him his only original jutsu. Everything Sasuke *is* now, is built on what Kakashi taught him. And he has to live with that knowledge. He needs to be in the party that brings him down." She finished.

"So what exactly are you proposing, Sakura?" Tsunade knew her student well. She knew the girl wouldn't take this big of a risk without putting something of significance on the table. She already knew that she agreed with the younger woman's summary, but she needed to see what Sakura was offering to save face. It just wouldn't do for it to be known that the Hokage could be bullied by her student.

"Yamato is a good Captain, don't get me wrong. But he's not *OUR* Captain, no matter what Kakashi does. We've found a way to work with him, effectively, but you and I both know that Naruto makes the poor guy jump through hoop after hoop, in order to insure his cooperation. That's no way to run a team." She pointed out. "Put Kakashi's care in my hands, and Naruto and Sai will put themselves in Yamato's....no questions asked. No more hoop jumping for the Captain, and the three of them will take *any* assignment you put to them...any assignment BUT Sasuke, at least until Kakashi can rejoin us."

"Sakura..." Tsunade began, that eyebrow going up again when the girl cut her off.

"I'll even take any assignments in Konoha that I can finish in the day." She added to sweeten the pot. "Shishou, you're always complaining about the expenditure of running this village. Paying for just me *HAS* to be a lot cheaper than the five nurses and army of orderlies you'll have to employ when he wakes up. I can handle him."

"Kakashi is stubborn...."

"He is. But little does he know, I can be even MORE stubborn than he can." She gave a slight smirk, pleased to see it echoed on her teacher's face. "I know what I'm in for, shishou. The man is stubborn as they come, and can become irascible if he feels cornered. Something tells me he'll feel less cornered if it's me there, rather than strange nurses." Her voice took on an edge of irritation. "For some reason, he's trying to pull away from us. And I aim to find out why. I lost Sasuke, because I couldn't see him falling until he was already gone. I'll be damned if I let Kakashi fall by the wayside too." she practically growled.

"He means that much to you?" Tsunade inquired, not expecting to have heard the vehemence in her tone.

"Kakashi is...." she paused, trying to find the appropriate word. "Whether he wants to be, or not. He's family, just like Naruto. And I know Naruto feels the same way." It was because of that feeling that she got him to agree to her plan so easily.

"All right, Sakura, you get your way...*this* time. I'll send a message to Yamato myself informing him of the change. Go home, and pack a bag, you'll be at the hospital for the long haul." She saw Sakura shift her weight between her feet uncomfortably. So different from the girl that had come in here to confront her minutes ago. "What is it now?"

"Um, I already have a bag, it's sitting out there with Shizune." She gave a nervous laugh.

"You were *THAT* certain I'd cave?"

"No, but I knew I wasn't going to leave here without giving it everything I had." Sakura replied honestly, her green eyes firing in determination.

"Kakashi doesn't stand a chance," Tsunade chuckled.

"No, shishou." Sakura agreed with a soft laugh, as her lips turned up into a smirk.

"All right, then head over to the hospital, Hatake is _**your**_ headache from now on." She watched her student leave, a proud smile on her beautiful face. When she saw Shizune standing in the door warily, she smirked and waved her in. "It's starting already Shizune." She said softly, as she grabbed a scroll, and began writing out the new orders of Yamato's team....correction, of *Kakashi's* team, under Yamato's command.

"What's starting, Lady Tsunade?"

"She's becoming a force to be reckoned with, on her own. Out of my shadow, out of Hatake's. She stood up to me for that silver headed brat, and there wasn't an ounce of fear in her." She rolled up the scroll and passed it to her assistant. "Have Izumo deliver this to Captain Yamato. And get a message to Naruto. He better uphold this bargain with no arguments. Sakura took all the risks in presenting it to me, if he goes back on his word, he'll have *BOTH* of us to deal with." She knew that wouldn't happen. Naruto never went back on his word. But the warning had to be issued just the same.

"Do you think Sakura can get through to Kakashi?" Shizune asked. She had seen how much he had not only pulled away from his team, but almost everyone in his life, and it bothered her to see him suffering that much. Shinobi's lives were already hard enough. To deny yourself what little support was offered....

"She's not that little genin he taught anymore. She's eighteen, and a jounin. His equal. And she just might be the only one in the village more stubborn than he is," she chuckled. "I think she's the only one that can get through to him." She looked up when she heard her assistant gasp.

"You were planning on making this change anyways, weren't you," it wasn't a question. Her dark eyes narrowed knowingly.

"In a way. I was just waiting for Sakura to come to me and demand it. If she hadn't, I wouldn't have given her what I knew she and Naruto wanted. A lot of the shinobi feel as if I coddle her. I know this. But you and I know, that the truth is, I'm harder on her than I am on anyone else." She smiled when Shizune nodded. "But if she faced me, she took that risk, it would show me that I was right about her all along. And she can stand with her head held high and know she earned this. That it wasn't a case of my playing favorites. Now, if you please, have those messages delivered." She looked around her desk, wincing at the pile of paperwork. "I don't think I'll be leaving this office anytime soon."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade."

* * *

_**Konoha Hospital**_

Yumi didn't intend to, but she found herself casting wary glances to the room at the end of the hall, in between filing her paperwork. She knew who was in there, and she also knew that once he woke up, it would take nothing short of an army too keep him in line for the necessary treatments. She had been assigned to his case on his last stay, and she remembered that five of the orderlies were admitted as patients on the very same night he came to. Yumi was grateful for the two ANBU guards, but she was well aware that there were only two people in the entire village that could keep the famous ninja calm while he was in these walls. She nearly cried in relief at the familiar shock of pink hair coming around the corner towards her desk.

"Sakura-chan! Thank Kami!" She beamed.

"It can't be that bad, Yumi," Sakura chuckled. "He isn't even conscious yet." She accepted the thick file that was handed to her, knowing that the older woman was beyond thankful to be passing Kakashi's case off to her. She followed the nurse's pointing finger, feeling her spine tense at the sight of the two ANBU guards there. "Ok, maybe it is," she breathed, more to herself. Wordlessly, she excused herself, heading toward his room. She stopped briefly, glancing warily at the two guards, and knew that when they made no move to stop her from entering, that the Hokage must have briefed them on her status change. Without pausing, she stood by the bed of her silver headed friend, looking down at his unconscious form with a mix of sadness and frustration. "You idiot." She whispered, reaching out to brush a piece of hair off his brow.

"You'll get no argument from me about that, cherry blossom," a muffled voice came from the anbu standing just inside the door. She watched the man close it behind him, and approach both she and Kakashi.

"You know, I thought the purpose of those masks was that no one would know who you were, Genma," Sakura couldn't help herself, she laughed. She knew the jounin was only trying to cheer her up. Being one of the few people in the village that knew the work load she had brought on herself, taking on the likes of Kakashi Hatake.

"Can I help it that you're just too smart for the likes of me?" He replied, his tone teasing. Stepping forward, he slid the mask up to reveal his face, giving her a slight smile. "So, how is our boy?" He didn't envy Sakura. She was taking on an uphill battle, one he knew Kakashi would fight her the entire way on. But he suspected short of the Hokage putting a crack in that silver head, the pink haired konoichi stood a better chance that anyone on getting through to him. It was no secret, that in the last six years, Kakashi had let his two remaining former students closer than anyone. Well, as close as the laconic copy ninja let anyone. But it seemed since Asuma's death two years ago, he had been pushing everyone away. But he had been pushing hardest away from the knucklehead and the cherry blossom. He silently watched Sakura as she placed a hand over his friend's sharingan eye, the faint blue glow under her palm, the tell tale sign that she was attempting to answer his question.

"The optical pathways from the sharingan to his brain are a mess. They're about as jumbled as I've ever seen them." She frowned. "Hang on..." Her brow furrowed as she focused her chakra into the smallest sliver she could, and sent the warming effects through the eye, into his brain. She was taking care to be as precise as possible, yet gentle enough for his body to not even notice the invasion. The technique was something she specifically developed for him, but it was difficult. She likened the effort to trying to hollow out a grain of rice with just a string of chakra. And it was something she had to do on a microscopic level, a little bit at a time, or she would run the risk of damaging the pathways, as well as Kakashi's eyesight. "He'll probably wake up in about three days. The more I do this, the less of a headache he'll have when he does wake up. Although he'll still feel like he went ten rounds with the Hokage." She smirked.

"I'm surprised you're bothering," Genma added his own smirk. "As mad as I know you are, I'd think you'd want him to suffer...just a little." He added, having an understanding how deeply the girl had been hurt by his friend in the last year.

"Oh, I'm tempted...believe me." She admitted, a faint blush staining her cheeks. "But something tells me the chakra suppressing restraints and the catheter will be enough indignity for him, for now. At least I'll know he can't escape while I read him the riot act."

"Wish I could say I felt bad for him," Genma shrugged. "But I don't." He wanted to help the pink haired medic, but he didn't know what he could do. No eighteen year old girl should look that hurt, or that tired. A light practically went off in his mind, realizing that perhaps he could help her. Sakura was smart, smart enough to pick up on any subtle clues he left her so that she could stumble upon the answers she was clearly seeking on her own. At least that way, he was free from repercussions from the Copy Ninja. No one told Kakashi's business outright, and lived. But if she were to figure things out on her own....he smiled inwardly. Genma was thankful to be dealing with Sakura on this. He liked Naruto. The kid was probably the second strongest ninja in the village after the Hokage. He had a heart of gold, and would give you the shirt off his back. But everyone knew, Naruto Uzumaki was not the sharpest kunai in the pouch. "Just....don't give up on him, Sakura." he sighed.

"I don't plan on it," She replied, her voice carrying a determined edge. Dropping down on the chair next to his bed, she cradled the thick medical file in her lap, her green eyes never leaving the form of her former teacher. "I just.....I'm angry, and hurt....and frustrated." She sighed. "I know more than anyone that getting close to him is harder than trying to pry Choji from an 'all you can eat' buffet. But...I can't help but feel like he's picked up right where Sasuke left off." She admitted, finally glancing up at the other man.

"I guess I never looked at it like that," Genma replied, "but I can see how you would feel that way."

"I didn't realize Sasuke was fading from us, until he was already gone. I'll be damned if I let Kakashi go like that too," she practically growled. As much as she wanted Sasuke back in her life, back in Konoha, once she passed her exams and became a jounin in her own right, a big part of her had come to accept that may not ever happen. It didn't mean that she would give up on him. But it made her all the more determined to not lose Naruto or Kakashi in the same manner. She gave a smile that was a cross between sad and sarcastic. "Well, now that we've established my uphill battle," she began, trying to play off the morbid conversation a bit, and move on to happier topics. "How are things with you and Ino?" Her smile grew more sincere as she noticed how the orally fixated shinobi's brown eyes lit up.

"Absolutely amazing," he breathed, not even hearing Sakura's soft laugh. Who would have thought when he started an actual relationship with the blonde kunoichi eight months ago, that it would be the happiest eight months of his life.

"You and Shikamaru are too much alike," She snorted. "You both need bossy women to truly be happy," she continued to tease him.

"Yeah. If I wasn't spoken for, I might be chasing after you, cherry blossom," Genma smirked.

"Remind me to thank Ino, later," she replied dryly. "Well, you might as well pull up a chair, you can keep me company while we wait on the sleeping prince here."

* * *

_**Konoha Hospital, Kakashi's Room – Three days later**_

Sakura's brow furrowed as she continued to read over the in depth file. She knew Kakashi's medical history, probably better than most in the village, but this had been the first chance she had to go over everything in such detail. Casting a glance at the still unconscious man on the bed, she understood that even after knowing him for the last six years, there was still a lot that she didn't know about him. From his medical file, there was one thing that stood out in her mind. From the time he was born, until just past his seventh birthday, his medical forms were signed by Sakumo Hatake. It was a name she had seen on the memorial stone. Given that it was also the name on her patient's birth certificate, she knew this to be Kakashi's father. But she felt a pang of sympathy for her friend, realizing that starting a few months before his eight birthday, his forms had all been signed by his sensei, the future fourth hokage. To lose his father at such a young age. Sakura shook her head, not liking the idea that her friend's suffering had started at such a young age. Everything they had been taught about the Fourth Hokage told her that the man wouldn't have hesitated in raising his student after the death of his father, but it was something she couldn't confirm without asking Kakashi once he woke. Her lips curled up in a smirk, knowing that she was more likely to get a straight answer out of a turnip than her silver headed friend. Maybe she could get Genma to crack.

"S-sakura?" Came the raspy voice from the bed, nearly forcing the pink haired jounin to jump out of her skin. Kakashi's blurry vision saw a bustle of activity as the pink blur moved around, and suddenly he felt his mask being lowered and a straw held to his dry lips. Taking several deep gulps, and blinking his eyes furiously, trying to get his vision to clear, he finally looked up, seeing the clear picture of his friend holding the glass. He was relieved to see that she had her eyes closed, intent on not looking at his now exposed face. As he continued to sip at the water, he felt an overwhelming sense of relief, realizing that she was still trying to respect his desire for privacy. After several minutes, when she felt him release the straw, she quickly lifted his mask back into place. He nearly flinched at the fire burning in her green eyes once she opened them.

"I'm glad to see that you remember my name, Kakashi," She managed shortly, inwardly pleased to see him wince.

"Are you..." he frowned, Sakura was wearing the vest of a leaf village jounin. He knew she was royally pissed, but he also knew the woman well enough that no matter how angry she was with him, she wouldn't physically hurt him, at least until he was out of the hospital. "Wearing my vest?" he asked, still more than a little confused.

"No, Kakashi, I'm wearing *MY* vest. I became a jounin months ago. You would have known that had you actually been in the village in the last year." She added through clenched teeth. "And if you actually care, Naruto passed his Chuunin Exam, and will be taking his jounin on the next round." She continued, some part of her actually happy to see the pain in that dark eye at the added shot. He had hurt her and Naruto deeply in trying to push them away, and a small part of her wanted to strike back at him, and return some of that pain. "Genma," she stood abruptly. "Sit with him for a few minutes. I need a break to try and calm down before I examine him." She nodded toward the man standing in the back of the room, before making her exit.

"Man, is she pissed!" Genma commented with a laugh, before appearing next to his friend's bedside. "Not that you don't deserve it." he scoffed, shaking his head at Kakashi.

"How bad is it?" Kakashi asked, not remembering seeing Sakura ever so angry at anyone.

"You're lucky we found you," Genma replied. "Yakato and I were just coming back from a mission ourselves. Your chakra signature was too weak for my liking. But you got both of them." He added, still annoyed at his friend. "We took turns carrying you until we got close enough to the village. I sent Yakato on ahead to the front gates to tell the guards to fetch Hokage-sama, and have her meet me there. Probably the only reason you're not in the afterlife right now."

"Not that..." Kakashi managed to turn his head toward the closed door, still unable to forget the pain in Sakura's eyes. Had he made a mistake this past year? With Asuma's loss, that old feeling had returned like a long lost friend. The fear that everyone important to him would be ripped from him in the bloodiest way possible. He wouldn't admit it aloud, but the pink haired kunoichi, and the blonde knucklehead had slipped under his defenses long ago, and become more important than he had been comfortable with. He had only wanted to protect them, and in the process, he had hurt them. And from the look on Sakura's face, that hurt ran deep.

"Oh, you mean how bad does the cherry blossom actually want to punch you through the wall?" Genma laughed softly, following the other man's gaze to the closed door. He immediately sobered, thinking about how hard the last year had been for Sakura. "Pretty bad, considering what you did is the same damn thing the Uchiha brat did to her." He nodded when Kakashi's eye widened in the shock of realization. "I know, I didn't think of it that way either, until she said something. She's had a pretty rough time of things this past year, Kakashi. The pain you put her through aside, they've faced Sasuke and his new team twice while you were gone, and got their asses handed to them both times. She's been pulling extra medical shifts in the hospital while she continues with her studies. I've heard the Hokage say she'll even surpass her in that department, if she hasn't already. She's been helping the root kid act more like a human being every day. And add to that the stress of keeping a leash on Naruto so he doesn't try and follow your example and throw Yamato over like yesterday's garbage, and taking her Jounin exams...."

"Jounin don't take exams. The Hokage..." He felt a constriction around his chest as he trailed off. Hating that he had inflicted so much hurt on someone important to him.

"Normally, they don't. But it's no secret that the Hokage is more than a little fond of your former students. She didn't want it to appear she was playing favorites. That those two haven't earned their positions. So she assigned five of us to devise the toughest exam we could. And left it to us to decide if they received the spots. Me, Ibiki, Anko, Gai and Kurenai really put her through the ringers. She got Gai's little clone to work with her on strengthening her taijutsu, and Naruto, Sai and Yamato helped her with the rest. She aced everything we threw at her." Genma explained, his voice carrying a slightly angry edge on Sakura's behalf. He and the other 'examiners' knew, that even though she got through everything fine, there was still something important missing from her eyes. That she wanted Kakashi there to see her succeed. "We have about six more months to prepare for Naruto's exam." Genma knew the loud blonde's exam would be twice as hard. "You should probably know too, Sakura is going for Anbu." His lips curled up into a smirk. "You should have seen Ibiki's face when he found out. The man *actually* smiled – a real smile. And not that sick smirk thing we're all so used to seeing." He didn't want to add that he suspected she wanted Anbu to go hunter-nin on silver headed idiot in front of him, and drag him back to the village kicking and screaming.

Kakashi's mind was reeling, trying to assimilate everything. He could feel the headache beginning already, to rival the ache of his body. As he attempted to reach a hand up to rub over his eyes, he frowned when he found his movements restricted. Slowly, he raised his head, his frown increasing at the sight of the chakra inhibiting restraints.

"Genma, get these things off of me," he growled, hating to be restrained in any form.

"He'll do no such thing, unless he wants to be immediately scheduled for his proctology exam," Sakura warned from the doorway. She seemed satisfied when the man in question immediately backed away from the bed as if Kakashi had suddenly burst into flames.

"Sorry, buddy. As much as you scare me....she scares me more," Genma gave a nervous chuckle. Either way, there wasn't an easy way out of this for him. So he opted for the lesser of two evils. A beating from Kakashi, once he was out of the hospital, he could handle. Sakura knew many more _invasive_ ways of inflicting pain. "I'll, uh....I'll just be outside if you need me." he made a hasty exit, already feeling the tension in the room, in spite of the fact that Sakura had supposedly 'calmed down.'

Kakashi looked up into the face of his clearly angry friend. He realized, guiltily, that Genma had been right. Even in spite of her anger, there was other things in her visage that he immediately recognized. The hurt being the most evident. Especially since he had seen that same look of hurt after Sasuke's defection from their village. His chest constricted painfully as he realized that he had been wrong. That the hurt Sasuke inflicted had been tempered by the fact that Sakura had been a love-struck child. She had outgrown it, just as she had outgrown her feelings for the dark haired boy. What he had done, it had been much worse. Just as Team Kakashi had been formed, and its members reconnecting – becoming a family – he had severed those ties brutally. His betrayal was much worse than that of the lost boy's. He felt the overwhelming need to say something. No matter how trite it sounded.

"I'm s-"

"Don't!" Sakura snapped, just trying to focus on her work for the moment. She knew they had to have this conversation eventually. But she wanted it to be when she was prepared for it. Right now, the hurt was too fresh. And she had a feeling that her bursting into tears would do very little to help convince the Copy ninja that she had grown. That she wasn't the over-emotional child he probably still saw her as. She carefully rolled down the blanket, exposing his bare chest to her view, her green eyes immediately going over the bruising pattern on the skin. "I don't want to have this conversation with you, yet, Kakashi. Just let me focus on my job." She cursed inwardly as her voice cracked with emotion, hoping that he hadn't caught it. She placed her hands on his chest, allowing her chakra to flow into his bruises. She had been working on them steadily for these three days, but given the severity of his injuries when he had been brought in, she knew it would be at least a week before she would even consider releasing him. She had to bite back a smile at the sigh of relief that escaped his masked lips, knowing that like her, he probably hadn't intended for it to be heard. After about a half an hour of her working in silence, she lifted the blanket back up to his shoulders. "I'm going to check your Sharingan now," she warned him, not wanting him to freak about having his personal space invaded, especially now that he was awake. She lifted the bandages slowly, sliding her hand over his eye socket, feeling the raised skin of his scar under her palm. "How does it feel?" She asked, clinically.

"Better than I can remember it feeling after using it so much," he replied honestly. It was a fact that astounded him. Usually, after such a ferocious battle, when he eventually awoke, his head pounded for at least a week. Now, he barely felt any pain in it, and he knew the woman above him was the cause.

"I had hoped that would be the case," she admitted, feeling Inner Sakura doing a dance of joy. She had been studying Kakashi's medical case, ever since Team Kakashi had been reformed...a necessity as the team's medic. It was only in the last year that she realized that the treatment of her friend's Sharingan had been gone about all wrong, thus extending his stays in the hospital. She could see the curiosity on his face and gave a resigned sigh. "It's a new procedure I developed specifically for you." she explained. "About a year ago, I noticed that your hospital stays were getting longer and longer, especially after prolonged uses of your Sharingan. The worst one being after the fight with Hidan and Kakuzu. I also noticed that ever since you received it, the medics have been treating your Sharingan as a normal transplanted organ. The fact that you can't turn it off tells me it's not. Granted, my theories were only hypothetical, until you ended up here seven days ago." She saw him nod, wanting her to continue. "I know your chakra signature, and when I first prodded the eye with my own chakra, I didn't sense it. So I had to assume that it was Obito Uchiha's chakra I was sensing." Her green eyes picked up the small flinch at the mention of his friend's name. She mentally filed the information away for future use. "So, instead of using my chakra to communicate with your own to facilitate the healing of the pathways – as other medics have done in the past – I merged it with _**his**_ and used that to soothe the pathways into your brain. I had hoped it would work, but I couldn't be sure until you woke up."

"Sakura...I..." Kakashi was floored. She had done all this for him? He didn't know what to say to her. Thank you seemed so trivial. "Please, take these off." He lifted his hands to the limit of the restraints. He could see her shock at the uttered word. Kakashi Hatake wasn't known for asking politely for *anything.* "Please..." he reiterated the word. Knowing some of what he had put his friend through from Genma, he had a feeling that the senbon wielding man had only touched the tip of the iceberg. He understood that it would take something significant to repair the trust between him and the woman standing above him. The fact that he was still wearing his mask gave him hope that everything was repairable. He stayed silent, allowing her to consider his request, determined to take whatever decision she would make. No matter how much he hated being restrained. His visible eye closed in relief when he felt her fingers on his wrists, undoing the clasps. Even once his hands were free, he still refused to move until she had undone the ankle restraints and stepped back from the bed. "Thank you," he whispered, softly.

"Don't thank me, yet. Don't think just because I removed the restraints, it means I'm willing to look the other way while you escape. You're here until *I* clear you to return to mission status." She warned him. Seeing him struggling to sit up, she stepped forward to help him, knowing his body was too weak to do it on his own. Otherwise, she would have been overjoyed to allow him to fall flat on his face. Once he was up, she leaned him forward, resisting the urge to smile as the silver head landed on her shoulder. Reaching down, she wedged several pillows behind his back to support him, before leaning him back into position. "Kotetsu brought this over from the Hokage tower while I was out in the hall." She reached into her vest and produced a scroll. Placing it in his hands, Sakura stood, backing toward the door. "I'll just go see if I can get Genma to go out for Miso soup. I don't think your stomach is ready for anything heavier." She knew the scroll was from her shishou, and had a feeling that Kakashi wasn't going to like what was in it. She wanted to give him some privacy to read it. But it didn't mean she would be foolish enough to leave him completely unattended. She intended to put the remaining Anbu on his guard about their troublesome patient.

Kakashi held the scroll in his weakened grip as he continued to stare at the closed door after she left. He still couldn't believe so much had changed in the year he was away. Sakura was a jounin....his equal. He had to admit, even if only to himself, that she was better than him. It only built on the guilt of his failing her. This disappearing act was only the most recent in a long list of failures toward Sakura Haruno. As a genin, he ignored her, seeing her as too weak, a burden to be looked after, instead of seeing that she was an amazing ninja in her own right. He was ashamed that he had been so wrong. Some genius he was, he snorted at himself derisively. Couldn't see the potential in one amazing kunoichi standing right in front of his face. Thank Kami the Hokage had the foresight to correct his mistake. It was something he couldn't refute. Sakura had flourished under Tsunade's teachings, and had become ... a woman. Beyond the obvious physical proof that she wasn't the child he once knew, it was there in her eyes, in her actions. Even after the three year hiatus for hers and Naruto's training, he understood how he had failed her. Still obsessed with bringing down the boy he lost, he focused his attentions on Naruto, and his training, once again, leaving her behind. But she never once complained. Even now, after this most recent betrayal, she was treating his wounds with such care, despite the anger in her eyes...more determined than ever to not let him continue on this destructive path. How had he misjudged her so badly? Inwardly, he steeled himself, looking down at the scroll in his hand. Whatever was on the parchment was not going to be good. Cracking the seal, he unrolled it, balancing it across his lap as he read.

_**Don't even think about getting out of that bed until you are released from care by Sakura herself. If I hear one peep of you considering one of your famous disappearing acts from the hospital, I will order Naruto to drag you back in chains, have you stripped naked – mask included – and used as a teaching subject for my new medics. And something tells me, given Sakura's level of anger, that it will be an order than Naruto will thoroughly enjoy.**_

Kakashi scowled at the threat. He knew that as strong as he was, the blonde ninja was more than capable of backing up the Hokage's threat for her. Even as he left Konoha the previous year, Naruto was developing his abilities at an astronomical rate. And more than likely, was only surpassed in abilities by the Hokage herself.

_**In spite of everything, she's loyal to you, brat. Do **__**NOT**__** make her regret that loyalty. She's changed a lot in the last year, earning respect from the other shinobi that has nothing to do with either of us. And she has put that hard earned reputation on the line to get you something she suspects you need. You are so much like your father, brat. Always trying to bear the weight of everything alone. I was like that too. Even Shizune, who traveled with me daily, was pushed away, for me to nurse my deepest hurts alone. That all changed when I met a certain blonde knucklehead. Our 'Rookie Nine' are all impressive ninja in so many ways, all adding facets to the gem that is Konoha in their own right. It's time to share the burdens Kakashi. Trust me when I say they are more than capable of handling it. **_

_**I don't know if you remember my coming to your house when you were a boy – usually with Jiraiya and Minato in tow – to visit your parents. Those days, especially after the loss of my own precious ones, surrounded by dear friends; they saved my sanity. And I will always owe your parents for that. So I am going to give you some advice. As much as Jiraiya could push my buttons and annoy me, he was still a friend. He mattered to me, probably more than he knew. And I will always regret that I never got to tell him that before he died. With his loss, I realized that I am well and truly alone. Oh, I know I have others that care for me, whether it be as a Sensei, or as Hokage. But those *I* held dear, from a time that seems so long ago...they're all gone. I am the last. You have a gift here, Kakashi Hatake. Naruto and Sakura, they consider you family, no matter what you have done. It's time to stop walking this path alone. **_

Kakashi felt the weight of the Hokage's words. It was as if Naruto had dropped his damn frog on him. His memories turned dark, momentarily, going back to his all too brief childhood. He remembered the visits from the Sanin, and the man that would become his teacher before he became hokage. At the time, he was too young, and too selfish to realize the pain the blonde medic nin was going through. But now, looking back, it was a pain he understood all too well. The war had cut short the lives of so many ninja, but it had also taken the childhoods of a lot of its survivors – himself included. It wasn't until the day they lost Obito that he had a clue of what his father had endured. And it was only now, as a grown man, that he could say that he was proud of the decision his father made. He would always regret that it took the loss of his friend to see that it was imperitive to protect your team...whether that team appreciated it or not. And now, in a misguided attempt to protect his current team, he had tried to leave them behind. It shouldn't surprise him that they refused to leave him behind. Especially since it was one of the few lessons he managed to instill in them. Kakashi was drawn from his trip down memory lane by a knock on the door. He managed a weak smile as the familiar pink head appeared through the doorway, followed by that of Genma.

"Okay, got two bowls of Miso soup, and some green tea," He chuckled at the look on his friend's face. "Sorry buddy, doctor's orders. When you get cleared to leave, I'll take you out for something a lot more substantial, and some sake." Genma promised, pulling the small table over to Kakashi's bed and setting up his dinner as the other man rolled up the scroll in his hands. Order delivered, he started backing toward the door, noting how Sakura was following him.

"Sakura, stay..." Kakashi asked, trying to make the first overture on repairing the damage to their friendship. He could see that she was hesitating, even after Genma left. "Please," he added. She was still unsure, and it hurt him to realize that this was entirely his fault. She had to have realized that in order to eat, his mask would have to be lowered. And it reinforced his hope that she still wanted to protect his privacy. It gave him the courage to press on. "If I had made this offer to Naruto, what do you think would happen." he decided to pose the offer another way.

"He would have practically jumped on the bed next to you," Sakura began, coming away from the door, and sitting in the seat next to his bed. "And the second he saw your face, he would have run off to tell everyone what was under your mask." She was still angry with him, and hurt, but her confusion over where this thought was going, was over ruling everything else.

"Exactly. I know you're still angry with me," Kakashi sighed. "But the fact that I woke up with it still in place, tells me you still respect my right to privacy. You even closed your eyes when you gave me water. I know *you*, Sakura. And I trust you," He hung his head slightly when she snorted derisively. "I deserved that. But it's true, I do trust you." His dark eye held her emerald gaze as he saw that she made no motion to leave. Hooking a finger under the material, he gave her a tired smile. "Ready?" Slowly, he inched the mask down, letting it pool at his neck. He had shown so few people his true face since his genin days, that he was almost embarrassed about what her reaction would be. Forcing himself to concentrate on his food, he intentionally did not look at her.

Sakura felt her breath freeze in her chest. After the torment of trying to see her friend's face from their time as genin, he was now willingly showing it to her. Her green eyes took in his profile. His face was thin like the rest of him, without being the slightest bit feminine. The bridge of his nose was straight, as if it had never been broken. For some reason that thought surprised her. With all of the injuries listed in his medical file, no one had ever managed to connect with his nose. His bottom lip was full, but not overly so. The perfect kind of lips for kissing.

"Sakura, are you all right?" Kakashi asked, hearing the gasp of surprise and noting the wide eyed look on her face.

'_Oh my God! Did I just think of the word kissing in the same sentence with Kakashi?!'_ Sakura thought to herself. It must be the stress, it *had* to be. She knew she had been overworked lately, but that was the only sane explanation for that thought.

"I'm fine...you just surprised me." she admitted, but felt her gut clench when he smiled at her. Damn the man, he had dimples too. She wanted to return his smile instinctively, but forced the scowl on her face when she remembered she was supposed to still be angry with him. Kakashi saw her face change, and with a resigned sigh, went back to his small meal. He had to admit, even the slight exertion of feeding himself was exhausting, and he needed to rest. After several minutes of his eating in silence, he pushed the small table away from him, surprised when Sakura immediately stepped forward and helped him lay flat once again. One look in her eyes told him where her thoughts were, and he realized he wouldn't be going to sleep right away.

"Go ahead and ask," he said, softly, suspecting the question on the forefront of her mind.

"Why Kakashi? After everything you taught us about taking care of your team," Her scowl deepened as she inwardly gathered her courage to have this conversation. "Why would you go against all of that, and leave us behind?" She asked.

"Sakura," Kakashi breathed. In his mind, he knew all the answers to her questions. But the trick was getting them from his brain to his lips, without driving his own comfort level into oblivion, as well as Sakura's desire to put a Copy Ninja shaped hole in the hospital wall. "The Akatsuki is still after Naruto," he managed weakly.

"What?" Sakura instantly replied, trying to figure out what on earth that had to do with what she had asked him. Then she thought about what she knew about Kakashi, and his habits, and her scowl deepened. "Kuso, you are an idiot!" she practically growled, suspecting what he was trying to tell her. "The Akasuki is still after Naruto, so you decided to try and take them on single-handedly?!" Her voice rose slightly. "Kakashi, we've taken enough of their members out to know that it's pointless. Two die, and almost immediately, there's another two to take their places. What did you hope to accomplish?! Other than getting yourself killed?!" It really was amazing to her, that a man as smart as Kakashi, could be so damn stupid. "The Akatsuki is always going to be coming after Naruto. The best way we can protect him is to make certain all of us are fighting at his side when that time comes." She sighed, feeling some of her anger subsiding. She was still hurt, but now, knowing what was going through his mind, she wasn't as angry. "Naruto has always been strong....but in the last year, he's gotten even stronger. It's one of the reasons Tsunade has fought the elders to keep him going out on missions. She knows, just like we all know, that the only way to eliminate the Akatsuki is to do it as a whole. They need to see that coming at Naruto with the usual pair they send won't be enough. If they want him, they'll have to go all in."

"Won't that be dangerous for Konoha?" Kakashi asked, a bit impressed by the strategy, but still concerned for his beloved village.

"And them getting the nine tails won't be?" Sakura replied, her voice a bit incredulous. "We can guess from their actions against the Kazekage, and info that we've gathered from other lands, that they seem to be gathering the tailed beasts in order. Gaara had Shikaku, the one tail. If they stick true to pattern....it means Naruto is last on their list. It gives us time to prepare. Which is *exactly* what we've been doing." She nodded. "The battle will be dangerous for Konoha, and if we could, we would take the fight far away from here. But the alternative would be so much worse." she told him seriously. "Add to that the usual drama of running this village, and the fact that Sasuke is still out there, and now has his own team....we've been walking a very fine line this past year."

"Wait, what do you mean Sasuke has his own team?" Kakashi felt his stomach twist in knots at the mention of his former student.

"I mean, he has his own team. It's yet *another* thing you would know if you would have been with us," Sakura couldn't resist the small dig. "We've faced them twice in the last year, since you left. A woman, and two men. We haven't been able to discern what her abilities are yet, she hasn't really done anything to stand out in the battles. But knowing Sasuke like we do, we have to assume it is something that would help him in his vendetta against his brother. There's a much larger man, I heard Sasuke call him 'Juugo,' he also has the curse mark. Juugo flattened both Sai and Naruto without breaking a sweat." her brow furrowed at the memory. "There's also a swordsman. I don't know what his name is, but I *do* know that he's carrying the sword of Zabuza Mimochi." She added darkly, knowing that the only way he could have gotten it, was if Sasuke had led him to Zabuza's grave. "The Hokage wants us to go out after them again, and finish this. With the Akatsuki's inevitable stepping up of their efforts to get Naruto, we can't afford to leave Sasuke and his people in play. I've lobbied hard for you to be included in the mission. And for now, she agrees with my interpretations of this situation. So once I declare you fit, that will be Team Kakashi's mission." she informed him.

"Sasuke," Kakashi whispered, his thoughts going to the boy – no the man, he mentally corrected – that had been so much like himself. The man that had been using what *he* had taught him to hurt so many others. His dark eye took in the woman before him. How had he missed this? This girl, who had been so unsure of her own abilities as a genin, was now a sure woman....a jonin....his equal. And it was clear by the look in her eyes that she understood why he would have to be a part of their next mission.

"You trained him," Sakura shrugged, partially understanding the unspoken question in his eye. "Orochimaru might have tainted it, but you gave him the basis of his abilities....including Chidori. You feel responsible for unleashing him, even though it wasn't your fault. I know *you,* Kakashi," She added, simply. "Plus, I think in your shoes, I'd feel the same way." With a shy smile, she stood up, drawing the blankets up to cover him. "Enough talk...get some rest. I'll be here when you wake up." She promised, reclaiming his file and returning to the comfortable chair by his bed. She knew he wouldn't fall asleep right away, that he would over think the changes not only in her, but also those things of the past that Sasuke's name had drudged up. She only hoped that the exhaustion in his body would over rule his troubled mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Alley - somewhere in Konoha - Night --**

The night was silent as he stepped from the shadows, wiping the blood from his kunai on the sleeve of his shirt. He looked over his shoulder at the eviscerated corpse he left behind. The kunoichi had been nothing but scum to scrape from the bottom of his sandal.

"The best indeed," he muttered sarcastically. To think the ninja world considered Konoha ninjas the best.....the very idea of it left a sour taste in his mouth and made his blood boil! The four bodies he had left behind, and the river of blood that spilled from them was a testament to that lie. A single Suna ninja had removed four kunoichi...four wannabe ninjas from this plane and sent them to the afterlife. As he stepped clear from the alley and on to the street, he smirked. Things were going smoothly, even without a formal mission plan, so he would continue on as before. He swore that he would kill as many Konoha scum as he could before he made his escape.

* * *

**Outside Konoha Hospital - Two Days Later --**

They had done one lap around the hospital and Kakashi was already looking fatigued. Sakura knew one more lap would be enough. She wasn't happy that he was clearly at 50% of his normal strength, but he had improved so much over the last two days. At this rate, she guessed it would be another five days before she could clear him for duty. They had talked a great deal in the last two days, and she had been surprised how much her old friend had opened up to her during their conversations. She was thankful for their discussions, for they had given her a new insight into the man she had known for years. And she discovered that the more she found out about him, the more she liked. And the fact that she was making such an effort made it difficult to maintain her anger at his attempts to leave his team behind. She looked up at her silver headed friend as they walked together in silence. Even though they had talked a great deal these past two days, she was relieved to find that they were just as comfortable with the silence. There was no awkward effort to fill the void with noise like there was around Naruto. With Kakashi, both of them were content to just....be. It was a feeling she wasn't used to, and she found she had desperately missed in his absence.

"It should be four more days before you're physically cleared. But I'd like to give your sharingan an additional day to heal before I declare you fit for missions. Especially given the mission we're all in for," She explained to him.

"Are you going to be okay with this?" Kakashi asked, his voice gentle. She had to know that there was a chance they would be forced to kill their former team mate. He watched Sakura consider her answer carefully.

"The twelve year old girl I was wouldn't be able to do it," she admitted, giving him a sad smile. "But I'm not that little girl anymore, Kakashi.  
Too much has happened. And when I became a jounin, I had to accept some hard truths. Mainly that no matter how much I care for Sasuke, as my team mate.  
my brother -- as things stand now, he's a danger to this village and he has to be stopped." She gave a resigned sigh. "If you're asking me if I can kill him,  
I won't be happy about it, but I can. As long as he's a danger to Konoha it *is* my duty."

"Sakura..." Kakashi breathed her name, wondering if her ability to surprise him would ever end. He took a breath to say as much, but both jounin were interrupted by the familiar yell behind them.

"HEEEEY! SAKURA!"

"Naruto," she felt the smile pull at her lips at her favorite knucklehead's antics. She turned to see him running at them full tilt, with Yamato and Sai walking calmly a ways back.

"Sakura, we got 'em," Naruto managed, excitedly. This was too important, he wanted to tell her right away. "We had a mission to grass...not to get....it was for somethin' else. Sai recognized 'em, and we were done with our mission so we followed. We got 'em! It's over! They'll never bother you again!" Naruto's blue eyes teared up when he saw his best friend's shock. "Why don't we go tell your mom?" he asked, his voice gentle now that he had gotten such important news off his chest.

Sakura looked up at Captain Yamato as he and Sai approached, her green eyes looking for confirmation.

"He's right, Sakura. The deed is done, it was them," Tenzou nodded. He saw her look toward Kakashi, unsure of what to do. "Go with Naruto, I'll walk with Kakashi-senpai,"  
he smiled sadly when the pair instantly took off. "Sai, please go with them, watch over them. We'll be along shortly." He saw the dark haired boy move to follow, and turned to glance at the silver haired jounin next to him. He could tell from the look on Kakashi's face that he had a lot of questions about that.

"Tenzou, that's not the way to Sakura's house," the copy ninja noted cautiously. He knew the only thing in that direction was... "The cemetary," he felt his heart sink into his feet.

"Hai," Yamato admitted, his voice tight as the memory of that trip assaulted him. Depite Kakashi's weakened physical condition, he could see the demand for answers in his lone visible eye. "Things have changed, senpai," he began. "Did you know that Naruto and Sakura have made the bingo books in both grass *and* mist?" He saw Kakashi's head snap around at that. "Neither did we, until that day. After our last battle against Sasuke and his team -- which was about a year ago -- Sakura was really down. Her mother approached me to get permission from the Hokage to take the team to the coast for a few days. A getaway to a little cottage that the Haruno family owned. She thought it would do her daughter some good, and the hokage agreed. And they were right. But the last day we were there, we were all out in the field having a picnic, playing games, sparring....and we were attacked. There were five grass ninja. One of them had a particularly nasty jutsu that he called 'senbon rainstorm.' Sakura and her mother were still on the blanket away from the rest of us. They were completely open to attack. Irina Haruno covered her daughter's body with her own and absorbed the brunt of the attack. She saved Sakura....but died almost instantly as a result of her injuries. Sakura nearly drained her chakra completely trying to save her. If Naruto hadn't forcibly pulled her away, we would have lost her as well."

Kakashi's dark eye looked forward into the cemetary. He cursed himself for not being there for those he held so dear. And Sakura had to go through all that alone. He felt his guts churn as he mentally reminded himself that she hadn't gone through it alone. Naruto, Yamato and Sai had been there for her.

"Sai killed two of the ninja outright, and I captured a third...the other two ran before we could finish the job. I interrogated the captured ninja, and that's when we found out about the bingo books. Naruto I expected...but it turns out the money on Sakura is actually higher. In hindsight, I can honestly say it makes sense. Her expertise in working with poisons, developing antidotes against all odds. And that's not even taking into account that brute strength of hers. She's been the turning point in nearly every battle Team Kakashi has faced in the last two years. She's saved every one of us numerous times, myself included," Yamato explained as they entered the cemetary. Across the way, they could see Sakura and Naruto standing in front of a headstone, with Sai hovering nearby. The wood using captain couldn't help but smile when he heard Naruto use the word 'mom.'

Kakashi felt his chest constrict in grief when he saw his pink haired friend reach out and touch the headstone lovingly. His sense of failure, the feeling of how he had once again failed Sakura, it literally made his heart hurt. When he heard Naruto talking to the dead woman as if she were standing in front of him, he looked at Yamato, the unspoken question in his eyes. His muscles were shaking with the strain he put his body through today, so he didn't protest when the younger man helped him to a bench.

"Irina Haruno was an amazing woman. She not only loved her daughter, but treated *all* of Team Kakashi as extended family. You should have seen Naruto's face when she told him to call her 'mom.' It was all his birthdays and Christmases rolled into one," He gave a soft laugh, remembering how the loud blond had practically jumped on the woman, strangling her with a hug. "We truly weren't there to hunt those grass ninja. But once Sai recognized them, I knew we couldn't return to Konoha without finishing the job for her."

"Thank you, Tenzou," Kakashi mamaged softly, still unable to pull his gaze from the two most important people in his miserable life.

"Senpai...?"

"For watching over them while I had my head up my..." he broke that thought off abruptly. "For being there for them," he ammended, knowing that he could never repay the younger man for doing what he should have been doing all along.

"It wasn't diffult, they're amazing people," Yamato replied ernestly. "May I speak freely?" he asked, respecting the other man too much to continue without Kakashi's permission. When he saw the older man nod, he took a deep breath to steady his nerves. "I believe you're being too hard on yourself. They're fine young people, and even better ninja. We chose this life, so did they," he knew his own life hadn't been easy, neither had Kakashi's. Ninja, as a general rule, did not lead easy lives. "The past two years have been rough, but they haven't been all bad. It was time for them to fly on their own. They don't need a sensei, or a captain....but it has been my genuine honor to be their friend."

And there was the crux of Kakashi's feelings of guilt. He hadn't been a sensei or a captain for either of them. And he sure as hell hadn't been much of a friend. He felt his chest tightening once again. He searched his scattered thoughts for the first thing that would help him change the topic. "What....what happened to the Haruno's shop? If I remember correctly, they had a deli of some kind." He didn't see Sakura able to pull off running the deli as well as accomplish her jounin duties, no matter how impressed he was with her so far. "She didn't have to close it, did she?"

"No, it's still open," Yamato smiled, looking out at his pink haired friend, knowing that her generosity in that decision had touched so many lives. "Do you remember that kid on Konohamaru's squad? Udon, the kid with the perpetually runny nose?" When Kakashi nodded, he continued. "Just before Irina was killed, the boy lost his father on a mission. Sakura's mother would give Udon odd jobs in addition to his ninja duties, so that he could earn extram money to help support his family. He has five siblings. After Irina's funeral, he explained to Sakura that they had just found out that his mother was pregnant when his father was killed. The boy had yet another mouth to feed." He nodded toward the young woman with a proud smile. "She knew she didn't have the time to run it, and she had no desire to live in the family house.  
the hurt was too fresh. So she hired Udon and his family to run it for her, full time. She pays them a small stipend, and they live in the house rent free. About once a month, the team goes by the house. Naruto and Sai play with the young ones while Sakura goes over the books with Udon and his mother."

To say that Kakashi was speechless was an understatement. He could tell from watching Naruto that even though the boy...neh, the young man was still a ball of energy, even in these last two years, he had achieved better focus for it. He had always been an exceptional ninja, but it had been his lack of focus that made him seem the baffoon. Now, it seemed that he was on his way to controlling that, and achieving his dream.

"Maybe you should come with us next time," Yamato suggested, breaking into his thoughts. "It would be nice for the kids to be able to meet 'the' Kakashi of Team Kakashi." Truthfully, there wasn't a kid that passed through the ninja academy, or the ranks of ANBU that wasn't taught about the famous Copy Ninja. It would be a rare treat for them to meet the man himself. Young Norikazu was having a birthday next month. Perhaps they should drag him to the party.

"Kakashi?" Sakura was surprised to see her friend jolt himself out of his thoughts. What could have he been thinking about that would have caused that look? Whatever he and Yamato had been discussing must have been deep. As she approached, she could clearly see how much the extended trip had taken out of her injured friend. She should really get him to the hospital and back in bed. The sun was starting to go down...she hadn't realized that they had been out there that long. "We should get you back to the hospital," she suggested, noting the dark circle under his visible eye. "Naruto, would you do me a favor?" She blushed, knowing he had done her a huge favor already by disposing of her mother's murderers. "Would you run by the deli and ask Udon for some soup and sandwiches for everyone?"

"Sure, I'll meet you guys back at the hospital," Naruto promised, still bouncing on the balls of his feet. He was thrilled that he could do anything for his surrogate sister. She had had such a rough time in the last year. So anything he could do to put that smile on her face, made him happy too. He didn't even wait for her 'thank you' to be uttered before he sprinted off toward the deli.

"Come on, Kakashi, let's get you back," Sakura helped him to his feet and lifted his arm before sliding into his side to help support his weight. She smirked, seeing how much the action annoyed Kakashi. Stubborn fool,  
he hated looking weak in front of anyone. "For once in your life, stop being so stubborn and let your friends help you," she chided him gently. Her smile grew as he just continued to stare forward while they walked, making no more motions to displace her. 'Good boy,' she thought to herself. She didn't even notice the surprised look on Yamato's face at Kakashi's aquiesence.

* * *

**Hospital -- Early Evening --**

The sun had already begun to set as they came through the hospital doors. Sakura noted she was supporting more of Kakashi's weight, but made no mention of it in order to preserve his ego. Her head snapped up when she heard her name being called.

"Sakura!" Genma quickly approached the small group. "Where have you been?!" he asked, excitedly, but waved off his own question before she could answer. "Look, something terrible has happened. The Hokage sent me to find you. I'm supposed to sit with Kakashi while you and your team meet Ibiki outside the trauma room." It was clear Genma didn't like the assignment.

"What's going on, Genma," Sakura asked, seeing the haunted look on the other jounin's face.

"It's Ino," the older man breathed, unable to take it anymore. "Just...go talk to Ibiki. He'll fill you in on everything. I'll get Kakashi up to his room," he promised, sliding into Sakura's place at his friend's side.

Allowing Sakura to help him like this had been hard enough, but when Genma stepped in next to him, he immediately tried to pull away. He got several steps before cursing his weakened body as he swayed on his feet. Strong arms reached out to steady him before he could fall.

"Come on, Kakashi. Not now, okay?" Genma pleaded, looking at his friend. "I need something to focus on, or I swear...I'm gonna lose it," he added. That was what did it for the copy ninja. In all the losses they had experienced in their lives, he had never seen that look of hurt, and outright fear on Genma's face. "Thanks, man," he sighed in relief seeing his stoic friend give a subtle nod. He slid back into Kakashi's side and they headed back toward the room.

* * *

**Outside the trauma room - Konoha Hospital --**

Sakura's mind was practically in a panic as they approached Ibiki's looming figure in the hallway. But by all outward appearances, you couldn't tell that there was anything remiss with her. She could tell by the man's stance that something was weighing heavy on his mind. When she managed to come to a stop in front of him, and he still hadn't looked up, Sakura's gut clenched in concern. It must be bad if Ibiki Moreno was letting himself be approached without him looking up.

"Ibiki?" She called his name, sensing Yamato and Sai coming to stand behind her. "What's going on? Genma told us Shishou wanted us to see you. How's Ino?" She had a million questions, but held her tongue when she saw the turmoil behind the eyes staring back at her. She watched the man quietly, waiting for him to gather his thoughts. Even though a bigger part of her wanted to shake him and demand answers.

"Sakura," Ibiki said her name as if whatever had been weighing so heavily on his mind could be solved by her mere presence alone. "Ino is fine..." he didn't want to say that she was as fine as someone who was brutally attacked could be. Sakura was one of the village's top medic nins, only second to the Hokage herself. She didn't need it spelled out for her. Besides, they needed Sakura focused on the mission at hand. "She was attacked today. The Hokage has treated her physical injuries and she's resting now. We..." he took a deep breath, steeling himself. "We have a situation. One that we've decided only the three of you are capable of handling. You're to be in command," Ibiki told the powerful kunoichi.

"But what about...?" She started to interrupt, casting a concerned glance over her shoulder at Yamato. The captain outranked her. By all accounts, this should be his command.

"Sakura," Ibiki snapped his voice, only slightly, and she could hear the exhaustion in it for the first time. "I know you've been tied up with Kakashi's care, but let me explain things fully. Then perhaps you'll understand why it has to be *only you three on this mission. We have a murderer loose on the streets of Konoha. Over the last three days, the perpetrator has killed five young kunoichi and severely injured one. There were two attacks last night, Ino Yamanaka, and the little Hyuuga girl, Hanabi."

"Oh no," Sakura gasped, her heart immediately going out to the Hyuuga clan -- especially Hinata and Neji. The identity of the girl killed tonight explained why Naruto was excluded from the mission, he would definately want revenge on the person that had killed Hinata's sister. But it still didn't clear up why Ibiki thought the remaining three members of Team Kakashi were the best to handle this situation.

"Ino saw her attacker. And the name she gave us is the reason we believe that you are best suited to command this mission," Ibiki continued, "She named the puppet master, Kankurou."

"What?! Kankurou wouldn't do that!" Sakura exclaimed, shocked that anyone could even think to accuse her friend.

"And that is precisely why you were chosen. Your friendship with him is no secret. With the body count rising, too many ninja will be out for blood. If it *is* your friend, you'll want to take him alive to get answers for this behaviour. And therin lies the crux of our dilemma. Not only do we want this killer off our streets, but if it is indeed the Kazekage's brother...killing him on sight could potentially cause a lot of problems between Konoha and Suna. Now..." he could see her sharp mind racing to absorb everything she was being told.

"Ibiki, I'm telling you, it's *NOT* him!" Sakura demanded, still protesting her friend's innocence. For as irritable as Kankurou could be, he wasn't a cold blooded murderer. She was certain of that.

"Just to cover our bases, the Hokage has sent word to Suna, explaining the situation and inquiring as to the whereabouts of his brother. I don't want to believe that he is the culprit, but you understand why we can't take any chances," they both knew it wasn't really a question. Ibiki knew that no matter what, the rosette jounin would do her duty -- no matter the personal cost. "It's clear there was enough of a family resemblance to fool Ino. Do you know if the Kazekage has other brothers?" he asked.

"I believe so," she answered truthfully, remembering the photos that Chiyo's brother had taken great pride in showing her after the old woman's funeral. "It was my understanding that Gaara's father wasn't particular about who he took to his bed, trying to create as many heirs as possible. I've seen photos. Their family is sizable, but I don't know if all the faces I saw were siblings or cousins. I do know that Sasori was their cousin."

"Either way, the Hokage wants this culprit taken alive...*tonight*. If it is a relative of the Kazekage's, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. But the priority is to get this animal off our streets. The bastard seems to favor young kunoichi. So you're to return home and change," Ibiki knew Sakura hated these kind of assignments. But she was the obvious choice here. Being able to look the lost adolescent, and powerful enough to bend this sicko into a pretzel if he got out of hand. Short of sending the Hokage herself....there was a reason this woman was the hokage's apprentice. "The look you're going for is enticing, yet innocent," he explained, his mind immediately going to the identities of the dead kunoichi. It was the one trait they all shared. "You're the bait, Sakura. Captain Yamato and Sai will serve as your backup. I can't stress this enough, we can't afford an all out war with Suna over this. We need this murderer taken alive."

"Understood," Sakura replied, her green eyes firing in anger. There was so much for her to be angry about here. Firstly, the death of five young kunoichi. Five lives that would have enriched her home. Secondly, the injuries to her best friend. Injuries she was certain surpassed the physical. If this bastard was targeting kunoichi...it showed him for the coward he was. When she came face to face with him, she would show him just how 'weak' a kunoichi could be. Sakura's lips turned up in a feral smirk. She would make him pay for casting such a horrible cloud over her friend's reputation. For as hard-nosed as Kankurou liked to act, he truly had a good heart. Lady Tsunade wanted this murderer alive, but Ibiki didn't say she couldn't bring him in damaged. "Do you have the locations where the bodies were found?" She asked, immediately taking the paper from his outstretched hand. Scanning its contents, she immediately located the likely gathering area. It was central to where the bodies were dumped, and it was probably where he picked up his victims. She passed the paper to her team mates, allowing them to see the pattern she had. "It'll probably be better if we don't arrive together," that way the killer would never suspect Yamato and Sai of being her backup. "Head on to the bar without me. I'll go home and change, and meet you there in thirty minutes." She instructed them, surprised when they immediately complied. She mentally kicked herself for that thought. Yamato had the most level head of just about everyone she knew. He had to see the reason that she was being put in charge of this mission. And because of that, he obviously took know offense at it. More than likely, Sai just didn't care. With the support of friends like them, she knew she would pull this mission off without a hitch. She had to....for the girls that died, for Ino, and for Kankurou. "Ibiki, please tell Shishou that I'll be bringing this creep here to the hospital before the night is over."

"It is a message that I will be more than happy to pass along," Ibiki promised with a feral smile of his own. She had no intention of returning this monster intact. "Good hunting, Sakura," he stood there, watching her exit the hospital quickly. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that this delicate mission was in the best hands.

* * *

**Kakashi's room - Konoha Hospital --**

"Genma, what's going on?" Kakashi demanded to know as the other man helped him get settled back on the bed. In all the years that he had known Genma Surenai, he had never seen him this rattled about anything. He knew Sakura was on a mission, but the look on the other man's face was making him nervous.

"You and Sakura wouldn't have known about this, since she's been stick up here taking care of you," Genma pointed out. "Neither would Yamato or the Root kid, since they've been on a mission for the last week." He could see that Kakashi was getting impatient, but he took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves. The Hokage would probably dent his skull for telling the Copy Ninja about this, given his silver headed friend's tendency to be overprotective where the knucklehead and the cherry blossom were concerned. But Genma knew how he felt about being out of the loop during Ino's care. "About three days ago, we got a new visitor in Konoha. We think he's from Suna, but we really don't know much more about him .... other than the fact that he has a hard on for dead kunoichi." Genma grit his teeth, knowing that his own girl had been on the recieving end of this monster's wrath.

"What?!" Kakashi sat up like a shot, then cursed loudly when his body reminded him he was in no condition to help his friend.

"Come on, we both know you're not going," the senbon user practically rolled his eyes while he helped Kakashi get settled back on the bed. Part of him was enjoying this. It was the first time he could physically restrain the copy ninja in all the years he had known him. "Look, I want to go too. I want this guy's head on a pike for what he's done to these girls. But we have to trust this mission to Sakura. If we don't, it could mean bigger trouble for Konoha."

"Tell me," Kakashi practically growled, beyond frustrated to be so helpless.

"Six girls have been attacked in the last three nights. All kunoichi, none of them above chuunin level. Five of them have died," Genma nodded when his friend's visible eye widened in surprise. "Early this morning, Ino was on her way to the shop, and this monster pounced. She got lucky though...if you could call it that. Her attack got interrupted by the little Hyuuga heiress."

"Not Hinata," he asked, hoping for Naruto's sake that it wasn't. Sakura had explained how close their friend had gotten to the Hyuuga girl.

"No, her little sister, I think. The girl's injuries were too severe for her to survive," Genma admitted, sadly. "But their fighting brought attention to them. Raido and I found the girls and brought them here. Unfortunately, our 'guest' had made his escape by then." He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease some of the tension. "And before you ask 'Why Sakura?' I told you man, she's not your little genin anymore. This creep has only gone after chuunin at the highest. Four of the girls were genin. Bastard wants a kunoichi, we'll give him one of the strongest ones we have," he added with a smug smile. Just the thought of Sakura cracking this guy's skull was enough to brighten his spirits, even momentarily. "But that wasn't the main reason she was chosen. Ino got a look at her attacker. She said it was the puppet master, the Kazekage's brother."

"Kankurou? Why would he be attacking our kunoichi?" This didn't make sense. The man he had met in Suna was brash -- sure. But if anyone had asked him to pin down a murderer in that family, he would have said Gaara himself, not Kankurou.

"We don't know. The Hokage even said the trauma to Ino's body could be distorting things. It might not even be him. But given the body count, can we afford to take the chance? Just about every ninja in this village is out for blood. If it is him, killing him outright could take us to war with Suna. That's why we need Sakura to handle it. Her friendship with Kankurou will ensure that she brings him in alive." He saw Kakashi nod reluctantly, realizing how delicate things really were at the moment. "Trust her, Kakashi. And trust Tenzou and Sai to watch her back, they'll do the job." He knew his friend well enough to know that Kakashi was piling more guilt on himself. Guilt for not being there for those important to him when they needed him, and now guilt for not being able to back Sakura up on this mission. He could relate. He wanted nothing more than to rip the spine out of the monster that had hurt his Ino. But like Kakashi, he was helpless. They had to bow to the orders of the Hokage whether they wanted to or not. "Why don't I go and get us something to eat," he suggested, deperately needing something to do.

"Sakura sent Naruto to her family's shop for soup and sandwiches for everyone," Kakashi replied, his voice calm, despite the fact that his insides were churning.

"I'll go meet him half way, grab the food and send him on to Hinata," Genma offered, knowing the Hyuuga girl could do with the knucklehead's emotional support. He stopped at the door briefly, turning to give Kakashi a knowing look. "Don't even think about trying to get up. Lady Tsunade still has ANBU guards lurking, and I'll be right back." He added before disappearing out the door and closing it behind him.

* * *

**The Rusty Suriken -- 30 min later --**

Sakura Haruno entered the door wearing a pale pink button down shirt, and short black plad mini skirt, looking very much like a young school girl. Her hair was done up in ponytails, one on each side of her head. And thanks to her shishou's fear of growing old, borrowing her famous jutsu was a piece of cake. To any outside observer, she could easily pass for a 12 year old genin once again. She was careful to surpress her own chakra enough to not scare off the prey she was hunting. If he was indeed a ninja, he would know that no genin radiated her strength. Even though she was inwardly seething, outwardly, she was the picture of calm and playfulness. Normally, she loathed these kind of assignments. But on this, she was as focused as she had ever been. If this bastard was trying to frame her friend, she would get her answers. Even if she had to pound the idiot into hamburger. Sitting down at the bar, she didn't need to turn around to know that Yamato and Sai were already there waiting for her. She could sense their chakra signatures, three tables behind her, and four to the right.

He had seen the prize the second she entered the bar. Bubblegum hair, and legs that just wouldn't quit. He practically licked his lips in anticipation. He would take this one slow, and relish every milisecond of her destruction. Picking up his drink, he pasted on his best charming smile, motioning to the bartender for a refill, and an additional drink for his target. Flipping the cap off the small vial with his thumb, he dumped the clear contents into the glass before swirling it to mix. There was no sense in exerting himself with prey that fought back, not unless he had to. Taking the tainted drink in his right hand, he approached the pink haired kunoichi from behind.

"May I buy the beautiful girl a drink?" He asked, his voice as smooth as silk. When she turned to face him, he was momentarily taken aback by how green her eyes were. They took his breath away, telling him that this one was an old soul. Those stunning eyes carried a wisdom beyond their years.

Sakura felt the stranger approaching, knowing that she didn't recognize his chakra. When he spoke, she mentally reminded herself to play up the innocent aspects. When she found herself face to face with the last thing she ever expected to see. Suddenly, she understood why Ino had named Kankurou as her attacker. Standing before her was a clear relation to her friend, but this man lacked the same sharpness to his face. The cheekbones were a bit higher....the nose a bit longer, and his eyes were blue instead of brown like Gaara's. But the Kazekage's eyes didn't hold a fraction of the cold cruelty she was looking at now. Physically, this man was beautiful, just the kind of beautiful to inspire flocks of fangirls. Which explained how he was able to lure so many genin kunoichi so quickly. She had been just as bad -- if not worse -- over Sasuke when she was their age. Glancing down at the glass he extended to her, she intentionally plastered what a twelve year old would consider a sweet grin. Inner Sakura protested the regression momentarily before she mentally slapped her down. She had to make this monster think she was twelve, which meant all the childish things she did over Sasuke. There was no way in hell she was accepting a drink from him without taking precautions though. Altering the texhnique Shizune taught her for Poison Fog, Sakura created a hollow pocket of chakra low in her throat, effectively serving as a bag to hold what was most likely a tainted drink. She took the drink from his hand and tossed it back in one gulp, feigning a cough, acting like the drink took her breath away. She suspected that Yamato would smirk at that little bit of acting. One did not serve as Lady Tsunade's apprentice for five years without aquiring an ability to hold your alchohol. Gently prodding the bubble in her throat, she sensed the drug floating in the liquid. She would play his game, then once outside, dispell the liquid under the cover of darkness before she dealt with this maniac. Reaching out a hand, she giggled, stroking it down his arm.

"Hello gorgeous!" She said a little too loud, making certain to start slurring her words. This guy had killed four kunoichi without so much as raising a murmer in the biggest gossip mill in konoha....the hospital. Which meant he was careful not to draw attention to himself. It wasn't until Hanabi interrupted him, that mistakes were made, and his intended victim survived. Sakura was willing to bet her next year's pay that he didn't want to make that same mistake again. So push the envelope a bit, force him to make a mistake.

His smile turned feral when the little pink kunoichi took the drink from his hand. Unknowingly, his breath caught in his chest and he forced himself to breathe when she drank it down. She had fallen into his web, and was as good as his. By tonight, he would bathe in her blood. When she began to raise her voice, and slur her words, he knew his drug was taking effect.  
Stepping closer to her, he reached up to cup her cheek, his thumb stroking over her top lip in an attempt to silence her. He wanted this bubblegum kunoichi, but he wanted her without an audience. And if her volume drew attention, he would be forced to snuff out her life too quickly to make his escape. Leaning forward, his lips brushed her ear.

"Why don't we take this outside, angel?" he whispered, feeling her shiver, and assuming that it was in excitement.

"Okay," Sakura replied just as softly, thankful when her voice broke. Knowing the arrogance of this bastard, he would think she was turned on. He didn't need to know that it was from her attempt to swallow the bile threatening to come up. She couldn't wait to get this idiot outside and show him that there was such a thing as a human pretzel. Getting to her feet, she intentionally tripped, allowing him to catch her in his arms. Hanging her head, she allowed him to help her out the door. Immediately, she drew the chakra bubble from her throat, holding it in her mouth. They went two blocks from the shinobi bar, and she felt him start to lead her into a dark alley. Just before they passed the entrance, she spit the tainted drink from her mouth, getting herself ready to cripple this idiot.

Leaning the kunoichi against the wall, well under the cover of darkness, he stepped back and drew his kunai. He would take great pleasure in filetted this bubblegum girl. Taking two steps forward, his eyes widened in shock when her hand closed around his wrist. The bones groaned under the pressure of a squeeze not possible for a girl this age.

"What?!" he didn't have a choice, he had to drop the kunai.

"You come into *my* village, create terror and grief, and actually think I would let you leave here in tact?" Sakura practically growled, allowing her chakra to surge in anger. She had expected him to jerk his hand back in shock, finally realizing his mistake. When he did, she pulled the wire from under her skirt, quickly looping it around his injured wrist. Wrapping the other end around her fist, she jerked him forward and her chakra enhanced fist met with his gut. He went flying the length of the wire, only to be jerked back by the furious kunoichi. "Get back here! I'm not finished with you!" She roared, pleased when she felt three of his ribs snap like twigs under the force of her chakra punch. Keeping her grip on the wire, she pulled it taught as he went flying, the force finally severing his hand from his body. His cry of agony was music to her ears. The corner of her lips curled into a sneer when she saw his body impact with the wall of a building and crumble to the ground. He was still wailing, gripping his wrist, rocking back and forth. Before she could take a step toward him, she felt a calming hand on her shoulder.

"Sakura, please undo the jutsu. You know the Hokage won't like the idea of you using her jutsu," Yamato pleaded softly. For the life of him, he couldn't imagine why she had even taught Sakura a jutsu that cut time off of her life. Unless she intended the girl to use it much, much later....like the Hokage herself did. He saw Sakura hand her head briefly, her lips moving in a silent count, trying to calm herself down.

"I don't regret it, Tenzou," she admitted, releasing the jutsu. Slowly, her 12 year old image was replaced by that of the eighteen year old jounin. "That monster came into our village and took those girls. Hinata's lost her sister." She shook her head. "Five ninjas lost their sisters, kunoichi that would have proudly stood with us to protect our home. And Ino..." Sakura took a shaky breath, trying to prevent the rage from swallowing her up again. "I don't need to see Ino to know that even though she survived, she lost something she'll never get back. That *thing*..." she flicked her head toward the ninja laying on the ground by Sai, still clutching his arm, whining over his missing hand. "He had to believe that I was that genin he was targeting. I couldn't take the chance he would see through a henge. If getting this creature off our streets costs me a year of my life, it's a price I pay gladly." She stood up straight, her shoulders squared proudly.

Yamato knew she meant every word, and he was proud of his friend. It was ninja like Sakura that gave him hope that his village would endure no matter what. It was knowing that ninja like Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki were there to take care of their beloved Konoha that made it easier for him to do *his* job. Knowing that if HE perished, their home would be in very capable hands. All of the Rookie 9 were impressive, and quite capable. But there was something about Kakashi-Senpai's former team seven. It hadn't escaped his notice that all three members found themselves as students of the legendary sanin, three of the strongest ninja in the history of Konoha. But it wasn't surprising, considering their genin teacher was a student of the fouth hokage.

"You think you have won, bitch," The man on the ground coughed, tasting the blood on his lips. He more than likely had internal bleeding, and with the blood pouring off the stump where his hand used to be, he suspected he would be dead before they could get him to the hospital. He rolled to his back, his blue eyes locking onto the kunoichi that did this to him. "You think my family will allow my death to go unavenged?" He rolled to his side, spitting the mouthfull of blood across Sakura's sandals. He once again cried out in pain when the kunoichi kicked him in the hip and he felt the bone snap.

"Dying is too good for a monster like you," Sakura growled, bending to place her hand over the stump where his hand used to be. "Oh no, you *will* live to face justice for your crimes. And your judge will be the Kazekage of Suna...Gaara." She informed him, before using her own chakra to close the gaping wound. Placing a hand on his chest, she healed the spot where the broken ribs punctured his lung, but allowed the ribs to remain broken. She didn't want him to bleed to death, but she wanted him to experience the greatest amount of pain possible.

"What do you want to do with this?" Yamato asked, holding up the severed hand of their target.

"Leave it for the dogs," Sakura answered coldly.

"That's mine!" The man protested, shivering when the kunoichi crouched down, her green eyes practically pinning him to the ground.

"How does it feel when someone stronger takes something of yours?!" They both knew it wasn't really a question. "Those lives were never yours to take!" Lifting the monster by his shirt, she pinned him to the wall with one hand while her other took off his weapons pouch, handing it to Yamato. "Sai, carry this peace of garbage please. If I have to touch him anymore, I won't be responsible for my actions," She told her friend, stepping back. He started to collapse to the ground just as Sai slid into his side. Silently, they walked back to the hospital, with the pink haired kunoichi practically vibrating in anger. If that thing gave Sai a second of trouble, she would punch him the rest of the way to their destination.

* * *

**Konoha Hospital --**

"So that's him," The pale eyes of the head of the Hyuuga clan observed the subject tied to the chair. "That's the man who killed my daughter?" Hiashi asked, his jaw clenched in anger. Everything in him wanted to end the boy that had taken his youngest child, but he also knew that their clan's gentle fist would be too good for him. He wanted his death slow and painful.

"Sakura and Yamato both reported that the man confirmed that he *is* indeed from Suna," Tsunade informed the grieving father. "Because of that, I have no choice but to involve the Kazekage in his punishment. That man's fate is Gaara's decision," She held up a hand when she saw Neji about to interrupt. "But the fact that the crimes occured here, it gives us the right to demand that he make that decision here in Konoha." She added, breathing a sigh of relief when Neji stepped back to his position next to his uncle.

"Which is why you asked the families of the girls to be here," Neji observed, looking over to see Iruka consoling one family. Sakura and Yamato were sitting with two other families. "It will be harder for the Kazekage to spare the man's life while looking into the faces of those touched deepest by these crimes," It was a sound strategy, and Neji could admit to himself that it was the best chance for the families to get some kind of justice for their loved ones.

"It's easy to see how Ino could have mistaken him for Kankurou," Tsunade sighed, at least relieved that they had that part of it straightened out. "There's clearly a close resemblance, but Sakura is sure it's not him," she sighed.

"If your apprentice is certain, than I trust her judgement," Hiashi admitted, his voice sad, but his thankful gaze still found the kunoichi in question. She had caught this monster on their village's streets, giving these families a chance for closure. He only hoped the Kazekage did not undo her hard work.

"I wonder who he is," Tsunade spoke her thought aloud.

"He's our half brother," a female voice answered sadly. She bowed in respect as the Hokage turned to face them. Temari, Kankurou and Gaara all bowed, knowing their brother had not only dishonoured them, but also their village.

"Forgive our sudden arrival in this time of tragedy," he was speaking directly to Hiashi Hyuuga. "The Hokage's parchment granted us access to the village." he explained to the three in front of him.

"Temari said he's your brother?" Tsunade asked, wanting to get back to the subject at hand. She needed to get justice for the families in this hallway, the sooner the better.

"Half brother," Kankurou corrected. "After our mother died giving birth to Gaara, our father bedded anything with a pulse in the hopes of making more powerful heirs. Needless to say, some of the next generation turned out to be a few sandwiches shy of a picnic," he growled, glaring into the room to see his brother tied to a chair. "His name is Takahiro." He sighed, wanting to rip the guy's spine out himself. Killing five leaf kunoichi, and trying to pin it on him. Even after he had been identified by one of the victims, one person refused to believe him capable of such a crime. His eyes slid to his friend, his gaze softening considerably.

"She never once, stopped believing in you," Tsunade informed the puppetmaster.

"And it is *that* spirit of friendship Suna hopes to continue with Konoha," Gaara promised. "Let us go talk to the criminal, and decide his fate," he said, looking to see all of the families watching him closely. Silently, the Kazekage bowed his head to all of them. He may not completely understand their loss, but he did know that it was his half brother responsible for it, and by extention, he was responsible. He wanted those families to know that he would not fail them.


End file.
